High noon in the Cold War : Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis

One of the giants of American journalism now re-creates an unforgettable time–in which the whole world feared extinction. __High Noon in the Cold War__ captures the Cuban Missile Crisis in a new light, from inside the hearts and minds of the famous men who provoked and, in the nick of time, resolved the confrontation.Using his personal memories of covering the conflict, and gathering evidence from recent records and new scholarship and testimony, Max Frankel corrects widely held misconceptions about the game of “nuclear chicken” played by John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in October 1962, when Soviet missiles were secretly planted in Cuba and aimed at the United States.__High Noon in the Cold War__ portrays an embattled young American presidentnot jaunty and callow as widely believed, but increasingly calm and statesmanlikeand a Russian ruler who was not only a “wily old peasant” but an insecure belligerent desperate to achieve credibility. Here, too, are forgotten heroes like John McCone, the conservative Republican CIA head whose intuition made him a crucial figure in White House debates.In detailing the disastrous miscalculations of the two superpowers (the U.S. thought the Soviets would never deploy missiles to Cuba; the Soviets thought the U.S. would have to acquiesce) and how Kennedy and Khrushchev beat back hotheads in their own councils, this fascinating book re-creates the __whole__ story of the scariest encounter of the Cold War, as told by a master reporter. One of the giants of American journalism now re-creates an unforgettable time–in which the whole world feared extinction. High Noon in the Cold War captures the Cuban Missile Crisis in a new light, from inside the hearts and minds of the famous men who provoked and, in the nick of time, resolved the confrontation. Using his personal memories of covering the conflict, and gathering evidence from recent records and new scholarship and testimony, Max Frankel corrects widely held misconceptions about the game of “nuclear chicken” played by John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in October 1962, when Soviet missiles were secretly planted in Cuba and aimed at the United States. High Noon in the Cold War portrays an embattled young American presidentnot jaunty and callow as widely believed, but increasingly calm and statesmanlikeand a Russian ruler who was not only a “wily old peasant” but an insecure belligerent desperate to achieve credibility. Here, too, are forgotten heroes like John McCone, the conservative Republican CIA head whose intuition made him a crucial figure in White House debates. In detailing the disastrous miscalculations of the two superpowers (the U.S. thought the Soviets would never deploy missiles to Cuba; the Soviets thought the U.S. would have to acquiesce) and how Kennedy and Khrushchev beat back hotheads in their own councils, this fascinating book re-creates the whole story of the scariest encounter of the Cold War, as told by a master reporter. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • “[A] riveting retrospective examination of the Cuban Missile Crisis” ( The Washington Times ), from one of the giants of American journalism, Pulitzer Prize winner Max Frankel Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History In High Noon in the Cold War, Max Frankel captures the Cuban Missile Crisis in a new light, from inside the hearts and minds of the famous men who provoked and, in the nick of time, resolved the confrontation. Using his experiences covering Moscow and Havana and the Missile Crisis in Washington, the former executive editor of The New York Times has gathered evidence from recent records and new scholarship to correct widely held misconceptions about the game of “nuclear chicken” played by John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in October 1962, when Soviet missiles were secretly planted in Cuba and aimed at the United States. High Noon in the Cold War gives balanced and nuanced portraits of Kennedy and Khrushchev, depicting both as more measured and deliberative in their actions than in many previous accounts. Here, too, are forgotten heroes like John McCone, the conservative Republican CIA head who played a key role in White House strategic debates. In detailing the disastrous miscalculations of the two superpowers and how Kennedy and Khrushchev beat back hotheads in their own councils, this fascinating book chronicles the whole story of the Cold War’s most frightening encounter. "High Noon in the Cold War captures the Cuban Missile Crisis in a new light, from inside the hearts and minds of the famous men who provoked and, in the nick of time, resolved the confrontation." "Using his personal memories of covering the conflict, and gathering evidence from recent records and new scholarship and testimony, Max Frankel corrects widely held misconceptions about the game of "nuclear chicken" played by John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in October 1962, when Soviet missiles were secretly planted in Cuba and aimed at the United States." "High Noon in the Cold War portrays an embattled young American president - not jaunty and callow as widely believed, but increasingly calm and statesmanlike - and a Russian ruler who was not only a "wily old peasant" but an insecure belligerent desperate to achieve credibility. Here, too, are forgotten heroes like John McCone, the conservative Republican CIA head whose intuition made him a crucial figure in White House debates." "In detailing the disastrous miscalculations of the two superpowers (the United States thought the Soviets would never deploy missiles to Cuba; the Soviets thought the United States would have to acquiesce) and how Kennedy and Khrushchev beat back hotheads in their own councils, this book chronicles the whole story of the scariest encounter of the Cold War."--BOOK JACKET. Drawing on personal reminiscences, archival material, and new scholarship, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist offers a dramatic recreation of the Cuban Missile Crisis that analyzes the roles, objectives, and actions of John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev during the October 1962 showdown between the U.S. and Soviet Union. 60,000 first printing. An examination of the Cuban Missile Crisis analyzes the roles, objectives, and actions of John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev during the October 1962 showdown between the U.S. and Soviet Union